Involved in the mortgage industry for over 12 years, Todd Gerleman currently serves as a mortgage broker with Team USA Mortgage in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he strives to customize agreements to meet his clients’ needs. Outside of work, Todd Gerleman contributes to his community by regularly donating both plasma and blood. While it may seem surprising, regularly donating blood actually has a number of health benefits for the donor.
Much of the health benefit of donating blood comes from reducing iron stores in the body. Excess iron levels may increase a person’s risk of developing cancer. A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute linked blood donations to lower risks of cancer.
Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that donating blood annually can reduce risk of heart attack by nearly 100 percent. Again, the reduced risk relates to a lowered iron level. High levels of iron can constrict blood flow and make heart attack more likely.
The other major health benefit is that blood donation can reveal underlying health issues. Typically, clinics verify that you are healthy enough to donate before removing blood and then test donations for a variety of diseases afterward.
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